Game of Love
by lovecastle89
Summary: Lance struggles with his growing feelings for Allura and knowing that she should be with Keith. What happens when Allura falls for Lance when she's already got her heart set on winning Keith's? Will Keith ever reveal how he feels about Allura? *Chapter 9 revised
1. Chapter 1

**In DoTu's first season, a few of the episodes featured Princess Allura giving a kiss to Lance on the cheek after a Voltron victory. This inspired me to write about a Lance and Allura pairing as there is potential for some fun stories. I have to admit I'm a little disappointed that most Voltron fanfic writers don't take the opportunity to write about Lance and Allura in a romantic way.**

**This is rated T, but some chapters may be more risque with profanity or sexual situations, so I will rate them M at the beginning. This takes place during DoTu and has just a little bit of Devil's Due influence-mostly Keith's personality. This is mostly Lance/Allura paired, but is a bit of a love triangle. Keith and Allura will be featured, BUT IN LATER CHAPTERS.**

**This is written for fun and not for monetary gain. Voltron is owned by WEP, not me. As always, reviews are more than appreciated, but no flames please.**

_"Good people of Arus, we have once again conquered the evil of Doom by destroying yet another robeast,_" Princess Allura proudly spoke to the large crowd below before praising the Voltron force for the defeat of the latest robeast. But unlike his team members, Lance was deep in his thoughts and unintentionally tuned out much of her speech even as he stood with her and the others atop the castle keep. Trying to keep alert to his surroundings, half of his mind focused as his eyes glanced at Pidge, Keith and Hunk who were eagerly listening to the Princess's words. This was not like him to feel this way at such a spectacular event, and he wasn't sure if it was the weariness of the battle or the fact that he had eaten only half an apple for breakfast before being called to battle, but he felt unwell, almost drunk. In reality, his growing attraction for Allura was pulling him closer to her like a magnet to steel.

There was nothing that compared to Allura. Lately, Lance had found himself completely spellbound by her. It wasn't just her physical beauty, but her humbleness as a petite, helpless girl who had lost her family, her castle and planet nearly destroyed before he and the others arrived from Earth. In a short time, she grew to be a strong, young woman whose determination and desire inspired her to join the Voltron Force and fly the blue lion. This also captivated him. Here she was like any other time after a Voltron victory waving and blowing kisses down at her people, whose cheers were growing immensely, but Lance only heard muffled roars and he couldn't take his eyes off of Allura. Her honey-blonde hair flowed down in cascading swirls that gleamed in the sunlight. A jeweled tiara placed perfectly on her head sparkled and she had changed from her flight suit into a long, royal blue gown instead of her usual pink gowns. He tried desperately to not inhale her intoxicating floral scent floating in the air towards him pulling him deeper into a trance.

It was not supposed to be this way! Lance shook his head before he lowered it and thrust his hands into his leather jacket pockets. What had changed these past few weeks to cause him to fall hopelessly for the beautiful, enigmatic princess of Arus? She should be for Keith! Lance always felt that way even though he enjoyed an occasional flirt or an opportunity to tease her. When he had come to Arus with the rest of the force, Allura was like a sister. He could relate to her heartbreak as his family was also wiped out by the Drules.

It's Keith who holds the team together and leads the force, and who countless times saved Allura while promising to honor and protect her and her planet. For awhile Lance, Hunk and Pidge had tried to get Allura and Keith together and fall in love. It didn't matter to any of them that he wasn't nobility or even of Arusian upbringing. They knew they were a match especially when Allura bats her eyelashes at Keith and always made sure she stands next to him during trainings. Recently Lance had another attempt of trying to get Keith to be romantic towards Allura. It consisted of persuading him to pick some of the fresh wildflowers growing along the castle hills and then take a moonlit walk with Allura outside the castle, but Keith thought that was a ridiculous idea.

_"Seriously Lance! Why do you guys care so much if I'm with Allura or not?" I came to Arus to serve and protect, not to be paired with its vulnerable leader!"_

_"Well excuse me for giving a shit!_" Lance had responded increduously before walking out of Keith's office. He remembered feeling like he had just received a strong punch to his gut.

Ever since then and coupled with fondness of Allura's innocent little cheek pecks she occasionally gave him after Voltron battles, he could feel himself hopelessly capitulating to the feelings he had for her. Had he been supressing them? Were they always there and he just not aware?

He always loved girls. Back at the academy, he loved the thrill of the chase and he could boast about how many girls wanted to go out with him, girls whose hearts he had broken, girls he could bring back to his dorm room while Keith just buried his nose in books and try not to wonder what Lance was up to next door. None of those girls mattered now to Lance, only Allura, and he knew she would never be just another conquest.

There wasn't much activity at the castle, in terms of potential dates or even a casual fling. The planet needed restoration and the team, when not fighting against Doom, spent their hours rebuilding parts of the castle and villages, and were on-call should there be more attacks. Lance made himself feel better by flirting with the Arusian girls and the maids at the castle, although it was hard not to find one that didn't look like a younger version of Nanny. But Keith always kept a close watch on Lance and treated him as though he was sleeping with everyone on Arus.

Suddenly everything came to a sudden slam as Lance felt a sharp poke at his right side. He gave a startled jerk which snapped him out of his thoughts and back to the celebration. Raising his head, he then blinked his eyes and turned to face Pidge who had been trying to get his attention.

"Lance, I think the princess wants to kiss you." Pidge softly stated, his brown eyes wide with excitement behind his spectacles. "Have you been daydreaming?"

Lance only shrugged and turned back to look in front of him, and there she was arms length from him staring at him with those hypnotic, crystal blue eyes that only ever seemed to be for Keith. Oh how he just wanted to reach out and brush his fingers against the silky skin of her lovely face! Her scent now had him feeling weak and his legs felt shakey as though he may collapse.

"Lance, I want to thank you for helping me out in my lion today. I think I could've lost control and crashed at least a couple of times," she said before uttering a little giggle, her cheeks blushing faintly as though embarrassed. Taking a step closer to him, she leaned in towards his face. _Oh,here it comes, _he thought anticipating her kiss on his warm, flushed cheek. Her lips were like pink velvet as they touched his cheek, so softly, so sweetly. He faintly remembered closing his eyes and hoped that his smile was of sincerity. Hearing the clapping from his teammates, he opened his eyes and grinned like a ten-year old boy getting a kiss from the girl of his dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

"Way to go team!" Keith exclaimed happily as he took the head seat at a large stone table just outside on the castle grounds. Everyone sat down as it was finally time to feast on a special Voltron celebration dinner.

Nanny and two maids dressed in light blue work dresses and white caps with matching aprons, set down large silver platters of sliced roasted turkey, a fluffy mountain of mashed potatoes, quiche, colorful assorted vegetables and homemade fruit pies. Plates and silverware clinked as the boys, Allura and Coran all with growling stomachs, filled their plates eagerly with the delicious food. As they ate with contentment, they discussed that morning's battle of the robeast. The day was bright and warm with just a soft breeze that didn't blow away the wonderful savory smells of all the good food.

"Is there anything Voltron can't do?" Hunk happily blurted as he raised his fork full of turkey and mashed potatoes before stuffing the food in his mouth.

"By now Lotor is probably crawling on his knees back to Daddy Zarkon and telling him he lost again!" Lance laughed along with the rest of the team including Allura who had taken a seat next to him. Her tantalizing floral scent mixed with the smells of his food and he couldn't help but blush.

"Won't he ever give up?" Pidge asked raising his hands with his palms facing upwards.

"No, he won't Pidge." Keith stated, his voice firm and serious after taking a sip of his iced tea. "Lotor is going to keep trying to defeat Voltron, take over Arus and make the princess his bride," he added as he looked over at Allura, her eyes solely on him. "But, he will never have her! I...we will make sure of that," he stated confidently raising his chin.

Lance, sitting next to Allura thought he heard her let out a faint sigh of longingness, her blue eyes now appearing dreamy. This reinforced all the more that Lance knew how Allura felt about Keith and Keith about Allura. He felt shameful about his own feelings of affection prodding and nagging at him causing him to lose his concentration and his appetite. Eating so little for breakfast like the rest of the team, he had been starving, but that was now no longer the case. Pushing aside the quiche, he then stabbed his fork into a slice of pie while trying to focus on eating and ignored the pangs of jealousy jabbing at his heart.

The conversation had grown quiet after Keith's declaration, but being that each Voltron member was ravenous, the food was eaten, only crumbs and morsels left on the platters and everyones plates. Hunk had helped himself to seconds and then thirds. It wasn't long before he let out a loud belch "Brrrp!"

"Disgusting! Don't you have any manners?" Nanny scorned him, her hands on her hips and her dark eyes glaring at him.

"Excuse me." Hunk sheepishly apologized, his brown eyes filled with innocence as he put his chubby hand to his mouth.

"At least he didn't pass gas. You never want to be around when he does that," Pidge told her.

"You ruffian! I don't want any of that behavior encouraged! You boys have been here long enough on Arus to act mature!" she snapped and Pidge looked around at his teammates shrugging his shoulders as though he didn't expect her outburst. There were plenty of smirks and suppressed laughs including one from Keith.

Nanny roughly began clearing plates, platters and other dishware from the table causing loud clatter. She always seemed to be in a bad mood especially after a Voltron battle, and even more so with Allura flying the blue lion. As hard as Nanny tried, she could never convince Allura to give up being part of the Voltron force. Lance narrowed his eyes while watching Nanny cleaning up the table and scraping plates. There was one time long ago he tripped her causing her to fall while she was carrying a large platter of food. This was one of those moments where he would love to do that again, but his self-restraint held him back which was a good thing.

Coran had been quiet throughout the meal, but had been listening to all of the conversations that took place at the table. Astute and thinking it the perfect time to calm everyone's frayed nerves from Nanny's crankiness, he finally spoke up as he set his napkin down, "Now that we are through with the meal, it's time for some after-dinner libations." He reached down beside his leg and pulled up a bottle of champagne. A delightful smile set on his face and the the whole team cheered and clapped as he then handed the bottle to Allura. "Here your Highness, you do the honors of opening it and sharing it with all of us here."

Allura thanked him and her eyes widened with perplexity for a moment as she had never opened a bottle of champagne, but as she took the bottle and held it in her lap, she slanted it outwards while twisting off the cap. Hunk was directly across from her and watching her movements, ducked down.

"Don't point it at me!" he yelped as Allura released the top and the cork went flying across the table.

"THUNK!" it sounded as it whacked Nanny in the behind. She had her back turned to all of them while still clearing dishes and was oblivious to the whole conversation. Straightening up with a jerk she bellowed out, "OW!" With lightning-quick reflexes, Lance had grabbed the bottle of champagne from Allura.

"You!" Nanny shrieked, her brows furrowed and her teeth gritting after she turned around and pointed at Lance.

"It was an accident!" he tried to explain as he stood up setting the bottle down on the table quickly. As he did so, the foamy champagne bubbled up and began to spill down the sides of the bottle.

"Out with you!" Nanny yelled rubbing her bottom with one hand and her other arm extending outwards pointing for Lance to go in its direction. "I've had enough of these mischievious antics!"

"Fine!" Lance hollered back and then picked up the champagne bottle and drank a large gulp straight out of the bottle before he stomped off heading away from the grounds. Faintly he was heard muttering insults, "crabby old bag.."

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Allura had excused herself after taking only a sip of champagne. It was unfair of Nanny to be so harsh on Lance, but she would have words with her later. Now, she set out to look for him and hopefully have a word with him about what had happened. Figuring he was headed to the woods beyond the smaller castle bridge, she strolled towards that way. It was only a short jont from the castle.

As soon as she had made her way across the bridge facing several large, mature trees, she looked around a bit. It was so peaceful in the clearing with the scent of lillies in the air, the sound of chirping birds and the leaves of trees seemed to be twinkling as the wind lightly blew. This could be the perfect place to relax and meditate, and she wondered why she hadn't thought of taking walks out here more often. Then she distinctly heard Lance's voice call out to her, "Do you think the old crabass is going to spank me?"

Allura's instincts guided her to look up and she spotted Lance with a large grin on his face while sitting on a branch of a tree high above her, very high. "Oh Gods! Get down Lance! You'll fall!" She was terrified of heights and the last thing she needed was one of her friends falling to their death.

He did a back flip off the branch and landed impressively on his own two feet on the ground. Allura thought he looked so handsome without his leather jacket, and only wearing a t-shirt, jeans and showing off his muscular arms. Still smiling even after composing himself, he asked her "Aren't you going to answer my question?"

"I, I.. I don't think she would do that to _you_. But, thank you Lance. Thank you for covering up for me with the champagne bottle." She managed a soft laugh as she walked towards him and lightly touched his shoulder.

"I owe you one. Afterall, I laughed at you when Nanny spanked you that time you were so defiant about getting back into the lion to practice."

Yes you did and I think now you've redeemed yourself. I won't forget that when Pidge and Keith laughed too. Keith did apologize." she said pacing about.

Lance feeling bold, blurted out, "I know how you feel about him."

"You do?" Allura asked suddenly feeling dizzy as her hands trembled slightly.

"Duh Princess!" Lance exclaimed throwing his head back laughing as he tried to cover up his awkward feelings and envy churning in his stomach. "You're so crazy for him and it's tearing you apart." he tried not to mock as he could see her gorgeous face beginning to frown.

"I do," she finally replied softly after a few moments of silence and then she sat down on a massive tree stump in front of her. "I don't know what to do. I can't tell if he likes me or not. He hardly says a word to me."

"Oh, he does. Believe me." He grew quiet for a moment and then took a deep breath as he got a wild idea in his head "Why don't you just go up to him and give him a big kiss right on his lips? Prove to him how you feel. Don't give him one of your cheeky kisses." Lance stated, his hazel eyes serious as he sat next to the princess and internally admired how beautiful she was with her long, heavenly, blonde locks flowing down her shoulders.

"I could never do that! That, that's bold! What's wrong with my kisses?" she stammered, her blue eyes enormous with shock as she suddenly felt defensive and stood up to tower over him.

"Princess, how much kissing experience have you had?" Lance asked another idea booming in his head, his heart beating wildly at what he wanted to do so badly, yet he still managed to sit calmly.

"Not much and not the most pleasant," she replied grimacing as she thought of the time one, supposed regal, eligible prince had given her a kiss at a castle ball. He had shoved his wet, sloppy tongue into her mouth even while he had horrid, bad breath leaving her to feel like she had the life sucked out of her.

Lance arose and walked towards Allura, very close that he was only inches from her. "Then let me show you what a real kiss is like." His hand gently caressed her soft cheek as she closed her eyes. Opening them, his looked deeply into hers as they dilated. A faint breeze lightly brushed back her golden locks in slow motion as Lance leaned forward taking her face in his hands. Before she could react, his lips pressed against hers as she felt tingling in her stomach and throughout the rest of her body, and then very warm.

"Not bad," he whispered pulling back, her face still in his hands. "How about one more?" He leaned forward again for a second time, his lips touching hers as they parted naturally and his tongue entered her mouth gently caressing hers. He held her closer and she slowly wrapped her arms around him while feeling the most wonderous sensations and tingles flowing through her limbs. Slowly, he pulled back and as she opened her eyes, she was at a loss for words.

"Uhh, oh" was all she could muster. He grinned knowing she was overwhelmed, but also in awe of the kiss, her breaths coming out in short gasps. He stared deeply into those intense blue eyes of hers noticing how dilated her pupils had become.

"Breathe Allura," he whispered his hands now resting gently on her shoulders . "What do you think?" he asked inquisitively.

"Wow," she finally gasped," That's the way a real kiss should be."


	3. Chapter 3

**A big thanks again to everyone who has read and/or reviewed the first two chapters. My muse is screaming at me, so I'll be coming out with chapter 4 hopefully soon. As always, I do not own Voltron, only my stories and they are for fun!**

_The night can be so cruel_, Lance thought, his eyes open staring at the ceiling as the moonlight illuminated and casted shadows on the walls of his small bedroom. Lying on top of his covers, bare-chested and in thin pajama pants, he felt overheated and his muscles taut and tense. As hard as he tried, he couldn't put Allura out of his thoughts. To him, she was a goddess with her golden, silky hair, her beauty and resilience. Even now, he could still smell her perfume, taste her lips against his, feel her warm body and gaze into those wide, blue, innocent eyes. Dammit! He had kissed her! He never meant for it to happen. His mind raced as he wondered what was going through hers remembering how shocked, yet ecstatic she seemed. After he ran his fingers through his sandy brown hair, he rubbed his temples thinking of how stupid and impulsive he could be at times.

Pounding his fists down at his sides on the mattress, he cursed Keith. Keith was so demure, so cautious to never want to fall in love again. Lance shook his head thinking Keith needed for forget what happened to him and accept that the past is the the past on Earth. Keith needed to give love a chance and not worry about being just a guy from Earth. What would Keith do if he found out Lance had kissed Allura? _Keith_ deserved Allura.

Taking a deep sigh, Lance turned over on his side and then climbed out of bed. After walking towards a set of cabinets next to his dresser, he began rummaging through packets of snack crackers, cigars and a few canned goods until he found his secret stash of whiskey from Earth. Southern Comfort was one of his favorites, and he much preferred it than the Arusian brands. It seemed to be much stronger. It had been awhile since he had sipped any, usually he saved it for special occasions, but tonight it's what he needed as he stared into the bottle at the amber liquid gleaming in the moonlight. After opening another set of cabinets, he pushed aside several items including some plates and bowls. His frustration mounted. Where the hell was a glass when you needed one? He settled on just drinking straight out of the bottle. Putting the lip of the bottle to his lips, he tipped it back, his eyes closing tightly as the whiskey burned his throat. He took another sip which wasn't as bad and strolled over to his large windows overlooking the mountains and the volcano where Red emerged during battles.

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Before she finally fell asleep that night, Allura tossed and turned while fluffing up her pillow, hoping desperately that she could exhaust herself to rest. Her thin nightgown clung to her perspiring skin and her hair became unruly and stuck to her forehead, neck and upper body. It wasn't uncommon after a Voltron battle to still feel the energy coursing through her body, along with her anxiety, over and over, even as she tried to sleep. But, this was different. It was not the residual stress from the battle that morning or the light of the night's full moon pouring into her bedroom. It was the _kiss_. After Lance had pressed his lips against hers, not once, but twice, she hadn't the slightest memory of when she returned to the castle. Having not had a pleasant first or latest kissing experience since that one prince, Allura was relieved, but more than that, excited about kissing Lance. Lying in bed, she smiled as she stretched her arms over her head and replayed the kiss in her mind as though she were rewinding a recording of a romantic play. Brushing her tongue against her lips, she thought of his lips, soft, yet firm on hers while his hands, strong and callused, were a contrast to her delicate face.

Turning onto her side in her bed while her eyes gazed around the moonlit-filled room,

Allura lay still for a moment diligently clearing her mind, or so she hoped. An image of Keith formed in her head, along with thoughts of what it would be like to kiss _him_. She never forgot when Keith first came to Arus and he had knelt down at her feet promising to honor her before he placed a gentle, sincere kiss on her hand. Keith was so handsome with his raven hair and deep, large, dark eyes that seemed to penetrate one's soul. Would his kiss intoxicate her as much as Lance's? Keith was hardly ever open to her about his past, much less his personal life. How little she knew of him after all this time! Those dark, mysterious eyes held so much, so much mystery in them. As Coran always said, _still waters run deep. _This was true of Keith. Was Lance right about her needing to be bold and just run up to and kiss Keith? She couldn't do that! But, she would make the time to be alone with him and then take her chance. Her breaths lessened, but deepened as all of her muscles relaxed and her eyelids fluttered while she drifted off to a peaceful sleep dreaming of _that _kiss.


	4. Chapter 4

_Berries_. It was the first word that came to Allura's mind when she had awakened the following morning. Thoughts of eating luscious, succulent ripe berries filled her head and she began to crave them in a pie or even right out of a bucket after picking. An idea suddenly popped into her head like she had opened several bottles of champagne, their corks shooting everywhere with delicious, bubbly fluid spilling all over. She would get Keith to pick berries with her! It would be a way for the two of them to spend some time alone, which was rare, and then she could seize her opportunity to get close to him, maybe even get that kiss she wanted so badly.

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After dressing and hurrying through a quick breakfast of tea and poached eggs, Allura grabbed two wooden buckets out of the storage shed just down the hill from the castle. As she skipped back up the path to the castle, she heard Nanny call out to her from the rose garden.

"Princess, where are you going?" Nanny demanded as she began walking towards her.

"I'm going to pick berries, hopefully with Keith," she replied calmly as she stood playfully swayed the buckets back and forth.

"Why are you dressed that way? That is so improper for a princess to show her cleavage like that," she scolded her as she pointed to Allura's pink pantsuit that was cut low enough to view the upper part of her breasts. It was just enough Allura thought, to catch Keith's eye and besides she was able to show off the tiny, sparkling crystal heart necklace that was once her mother's. The pantsuit wasn't too revealing, but it wasn't very modest and especially to Nanny's high standards. It was the only daring article of clothing in her closet. "Honestly! If anyone sees you like that..." Before she finished her sentence, Nanny had retreated to the castle leaving Allura wondering what she was up to.

Allura shook her head and began to look around and think of the places Keith might be at. The boys and he had finished breakfast earlier and set off to different places of adventure. Within minutes, Nanny had returned waving an apron in her hand. After handing it to Allura, she told her to wear it and that it would protect her from the berries staining her outfit. Allura smiled and thanked her, thinking that was at least considerate of Nanny instead of making her change into something else that was unflattering and made her feel frumpy.

Allura walked over towards the back of the castle gazing at the acres of lush green, beautiful budding trees and flowers of every color poking up. The brilliant pinks, blues, oranges, and yellows were all so reviving and the stone benches one could sit upon were just a few of Allura's favorite reminding her to appreciate life's beauty. She held her breath as she suddenly caught a glimpse of Keith working on one of the castle walls.

"Hey there!" she called out to him as she flashed a smile and waved while watching him at work fixing and plastering part of the wall, an assortment of tools scattered on the ground next to him. "You know, Coran has hired engineers to fix the damage to the castle walls from our recent battles," she added. Setting down the tools he had in his hands, he looked at her with uncertainty before wiping his hands off on the protective apron he was wearing.

"Why didn't Coran tell me about that?" he asked with obvious irritation in his voice and his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

She swallowed nervously and replied, "I'm not sure, maybe he forgot?" Searching for his reaction and finding none, she added, "Why not go berry-picking with me?" He arched a dark eyebrow at her in disbelief as though "berry-picking" wasn't something he had in mind.

As always he thought she was so beautiful with her blonde locks up in a chignon, her tiara placed neatly on her head and she was dressed in a fitting pink jumpsuit showing off her curves. For a moment, his eyes glanced down at her cleavage, then quickly darted back to her blue eyes that were the same color of Lake Arus.

"Why not?" he replied laughing as he threw off the large painter's apron he was wearing, yet still thinking to himself that this was rather silly. He, however, wanted to spend time with her even though she was off-limits, yet he was still oblivious to the deep-rooted raging storm of feelings he had for her. Without hesitation, Allura had grabbed his hand and headed down the path that lead to the mountain road where they would enter a forest. Within that forest were many bushes with ripe, tasty berries to pick for pies, jams, jellies and other endless concoctions. Allura loved the feel of Keith's hand against hers. His hands had always known hard work and were rough, yet gentle and tender.

As they slowed down nearing the ominous forest at the bottom of the mountain, he felt in protective mode and let go of her hand, but proceeded to offer her his arm. She gladly accepted and giggled with child-like glee as they entered a beautiful pathway with tall trees providing a canopy with sunlight gleaming below them. They continued on with their buckets amongst endless bushes filled with berries riped to be plucked. There were the sweet reds, juicy blues and fragrant, yet tangy and tasty purples, all of them native only to Arus. Keith had never seen or tasted berries like these back at home on Earth.

Allura unfolded the apron that Nanny had given to her to wear over her pantsuit and as her eyes widened, she let out a "huh?" she realized that the apron was full length and had a loop that would go around her head and cover her entire front. With a snort, she tossed it aside as Keith let out a chuckle.

"Nanny's never happy unless I'm completely covered with clothing from head to toe," she stated as she shook her head and rolled her eyes before picking off three plump, blue berries and plopped them in her bucket. Keith also picked off berries and as they began filling their buckets, each berry made a thud noise as it landed.

They made small talk mostly of the previous day's battle and they were both relieved there had been no casualties from it. Keith didn't inquire her about her going off after Lance during the dinner and she felt relieved, but she was disappointed she couldn't get much more conversation from him.

"So Allura, tell me what you plan to do with all the berries we pick?," Keith asked inquisitvely, showing her how his bucket was already half-full.

"Nanny and the maids make wonderful pies, jellies, jams and other yummy goodies," she replied popping two big red berries in her mouth. "Mmm, so good," she added as she ate a couple more.

"If you keep that up, you won't have enough berries for anything," he said. He gave her a smirk and Allura smiled as she suddenly felt like being playful. Was he really having that good of a time?

"Here! Have a berry!" she yelled as she tossed it at Keith. He caught it and as it smooshed in his hand, he simply wiped it off on some leaves. Allura giggled until he threw a couple of them at her. They were overripe and soggy and as they hit her, they splattered onto her pantsuit staining it with reds, purples and blues all with mushiness and seeds scattered. She could only laugh.

"Nanny's not going to be happy," Keith said looking up and down at her, his voice sounding almost serious.

Allura, still laughing walked over to him replying, "I don't care. It can be washed." She was now close to him, so close he could smell her perfume and feel her warmth and her breath releasing little puffs in his ear. His heart was hammering in his chest and as he turned to his head, her ocean-blue eyes were right there staring into his. "You know Keith, I think we're going to have a lot more free time, time to get to know each other a little," she said almost in a whisper, her voice suddenly shaking and her heart beating furiously as she felt lightheaded.

Before he realized it, Allura's lips were on his. He froze for a moment as he was completely stunned by her action and he placed his hands on her shoulders as though to push her away, but he found himself wrapping his arms around her, and no matter how close he held her to him, she still felt so far away. Allura felt the heat of his muscular body against hers and she instinctively pulled him closer to her and moved her hands up his neck running her fingers though his hair. Tasting the sweet berries on her lips and in her mouth, Keith returned her kiss with the same intensity before he pulled back abruptly as though something had slammed against his head.

"Allura, no, what did you do that for?" he asked his face white and eyes wide with shock.

"I, I've always wanted to kiss you and see what it was like," she responded, a tremble in her voice. She had enjoyed herself, but seeing his reaction while he pulled away had her feeling like it wasn't something that shouldn't have happened. "Did you not like it?" she asked her eyes searching his.

"Allura, I can't be with you like that. I can't kiss you. Why would you kiss me?" he inquired with pressured speech and then upon seeing her blue eyes becoming sad and her features sink, he apologized, "I'm sorry." He had picked up his bucket while watching her turn away from him when they heard shouting in the distance that sounded like Hunk and Pidge.

"Hey you two!" Hunk shouted as he and Pidge laughed and caught up to them. Lance was trailing behind and as the three of them caught up to Keith and Allura, he stood with his arms crossed, his face slightly fatigued. "We've been looking for you! There's a stream just down from here that has a lot of fish in it!" Hunk added with excitement in his voice and a wide, toothy grin on his face.

"We saw one this big!" Pidge stated out loud as he held his arms out wide. "Let's all go down there. It's a lot of fun!"

Still trying to recover from Keith's apparent rejection of her, Allura was working hard to gain her composure and she took a deep breath before she turned around and gave them a big smile while responding, "Absolutely! My father used to fish down there and he also used his bow and arrow to hunt deer."

Lance's eyes met hers before settling on her chest to view her cleavage. "Princess, it looks like you had a little fun with the berries. Your suit is all stained," he said before managing a laugh.

"I don't mind getting dirty," she replied softly with a laugh. As Keith turned to stare at her obliviously shocked at her statement, Lance gave her a wink, seduction apparent in his hazel eyes.

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They all followed the path down to the stream which was trickling, but the sound of a waterfall was apparent. Large moss-covered boulders were set in various places of the stream and small stones dotted its bed. Sparkling from the sunlight, the stream looked so peaceful as it flowed and they could see the fish, mostly trout swimming about. Pidge began skipping about gracefully doing cartwheels from boulder to boulder without a single stumble. Truly, he could show off his ninja skills and get away with it. There was a large log spread across the stream. Allura began to cross it, but not before Keith grabbed her hand to help her across. As she walked, she began losing her balance and footing. All of them were afraid she would fall and injure herself dreadfully on the rocks below. Keith held onto her hand, but he too felt himself slipping. He held onto her with all his strength.

"Allura, I got you!,"he cried out holding onto her hand tightly hoping she wouldn't slam against one of the boulders or the rocks below. The water in to the stream was rushing now at a fast pace. Just then, Lance's strong hands grabbed her waist pulling her to her feet on the log and then quickly to one of the large boulders. Keith's hand was still locked with hers.

"You alright Princess?" Lance asked, his voice calm. Thank goodness he was there to help the both of them from falling into the stream.

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied as she turned around to look directly at him, his hands still around her waist and Keith's hands gripping hers. She looked back and forth at both of them feeling a rush of heat and electricity slam throught her body as she realized how complex her life would become. What would she do? What would she do?

_In case you're wondering, I did eat berries while working on this chapter. Blueberries, blackberries and raspberries in season and on sale!_


	5. Chapter 5

_**After much consideration, I have changed the whole story rating to M. I thought that was more appropriate since it does deal with adult themes. I have read other stories from other authors and have often scratched my head wondering why they rated their story M as it seemed to be tame. I realize readers have different prospectives on what is T or M rated. I just want to be safe.**_

_**I do not own Voltron or its characters, nor do I make any monetary gains from my stories. Lady Francine and Lord Paxton are my characters and are not to be used without my permission.**_

A bubble bath tended to be the most wondrous pastime for Allura. While lying in her claw-foot tub with candles lit around her and soft classical Arusian music playing, she tried to relax and not think about Lance or Keith. Days, along with sleepless nights had passed since she had kissed both of them, and she just couldn't seem to loosen her gripping attraction for both of the men. Keith kept himself busy, usually doing extra security work for Coran or training the castle guards on fighting techniques. If only he could acknowledge their kiss and talk to her about it his feelings, she would feel so much better about where they stood, but he never would. Lance, she could always feel his eyes on her and she wondered what his thoughts were. It was both frightening and exciting at the same time especially when other's heads were turned, he would blow her a kiss or give her a wink. Sometimes his hand would casually brush against hers while passing each other in the castle hallways or she would make it a point to sit next to him at mealtimes, always needing to be near him, but thinking of Keith in the process. She was just moving her legs covered with suds in the tub and adjusting her neck pillow when she heard a knock on the door.

"Your Highness, I have a note for you in regards to the tea gathering tomorrow," a maid called out from beyond the door.

Allura, dumbfounded for a moment, shook her head before she realized that her cousin Romelle and their childhood friend Lady Francine would be visiting tomorrow. She had known of this for awhile, but her mind being overwhelmed, she had forgotten about it.

"Your Highness? Are you there? May I come in to give you this?" the maid called out louder.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm in the tub right now. Just leave it under the door and I'll get it in a bit," Allura responded as she began climbing out of her tub.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry for bothering you your Highness. I will do that. Goodnight," the maid responded and soon Allura heard her footsteps walking away from the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The vast, yet tranquil rose garden was the perfect setting for a tea party. Beautiful bushes of pink, red, yellow and white roses in bloom were scattered about; their fragrances filling the air of the cool afternoon spring day. Allura, her long, blonde hair in a sidebraid was wearing one of her pink ballgowns that Nanny had picked out, sat at a little table with Romelle and Lady Francine. It wasn't uncommon for Romelle to be mistaken for Allura with her bright blue eyes except Romelle was slightly taller with strawberry-blonde hair that flowed down her shoulders and back. Today she wore a flattering azure blue satin gown and her smile was dazzling. Francine was of striking beauty with her dark, chestnut hair piled up on her head with a tiara, bewitching green eyes, crimson red lipstick that matched her fingernails and she wore a daring, low-cut, red silky ballgown. Her chest and what was showing of her bosom sparkled from a dusting powder that contained bits of glitter.

The three ladies sat sipping tea in delicate, bone china cups and conversing while enjoying a spread of finger sandwiches, field green salad, mini pastel macaroons and assorted petit fours on a platter. Allura and Francine both broke out in a joyful scream when they noticed the large marquis-shaped diamond on Romelle's left ring finger. Sven had only proposed a few days before. Allura was so ecstatic about Romelle's engagement and Francine and she gave Romelle congratulatory hugs.

As Romelle discussed the details of the proposal and when the wedding may take place, Allura felt the butterflies in her stomach and her muscles twist in knots. Francine would inquire about _her_ love life and was not afraid to say what she thought. Francine waisted no time delving in and asking personal questions. She was like a sly fox.

"So Allura, tell me how you can handle not being so tempted by those hot military Voltron men? I'm not talking about the little boy in green with the glasses or the big caveman with the head band," Francine spoke, smirking as she sipped her blood orange tea.

"Commander Keith and Lieutenant Lance have trained me to be the best I can be," Allura responded calmly. She was so caught off guard that she didn't know what else to say. Francine threw her head back as she burst into loud laughter as Romelle furrowed her brows at her while setting down her teacup.

"Please. You sound like you're responding to a military council. Come on Allura, don't tell me you don't find either of those boys attractive. I mean that commander, what a raven-haired sexpot he is and the lieutenant, what a hot body he has!" Francine teased on and Allura grimaced at Francine's comment _raven-haired sexpot._

"Alright," Allura sighed heavily before admitting, "I've kissed Lance. I loved it. It was so romantic and I've never felt this way before. He's bold, daring and not afraid to challenge Keith on battle strategies. When I first started flying my lion, he was tough on me and I got better after every lion practice. Oh, everytime I see him, I heat up and.." she couldn't finish her rambling statements, but instead dropped her head in her hands. Francine's mouth opened in surprise and Romelle's blue eyes stared at her in stunned silence. It was a few moments before either Francine or Romelle spoke.

"So, when are you going to go to bed with him?" Francine asked inquisitively as she grabbed a sandwich off the platter and eagerly awaited Allura's response.

"I'm not!" Allura gasped. "What is wrong with you?"

"Really Francine, Allura has standards!" Romelle jumped in to Allura's defense.

"Oh, come on Romelle. Tell Allura. You and Sven have been together, haven't you?" Francine egged Romelle on.

"That is none of your business Francine!" Romelle snapped. Seeing that she had pushed Romelle just a bit too far, Francine backed off slightly.

"My apologies Romelle," Francine said softly as she patted Romelle's hand gently before turning back to Allura, "No one waits until their wedding night anymore Allura. Sex is something to enjoy and get good at," she added as she lifted her sandwich, picked out the slice of cucumber as she scowled at it before plopping it on the ground.

"I can't just do that with Lance or Keith," Allura said shaking her head.

"Keith?" Francine asked arching an eyebrow. Even Romelle leaned in closer to Allura, a curious smile on her face. "So, you also have feelings for the commander?" Francine asked again, a devious smile curling her lips.

"Yes!" Allura exclaimed pushing aside her teacup and covering her blushed face with her hands. "I've kissed him too and I can't stop thinking about both of them! It's making my life rather difficult at the moment."

"Just go to bed with both of them and the one that's the best is the one you should end up with." Francine said as put the last bite of sandwich in her mouth.

"That's enough Francine! You're upsetting Allura!" Romelle stated her blue eyes intense like sapphires as she stared at Francine. Francine then got up from the table and gathering her skirts of her gown, left in a huff and began to stroll around the garden.

"What is wrong with her Romelle?" Allura asked her voice high-pitched in stress. "I know she's always been so daring. I just, I just can't be like her. I don't want to be." Allura said as she picked at the little pink macaroon and then took a bite.

"She's a slut," Romelle said and Allura's eyes widened in surprise at Romelle's comment. "Don't take anything she says personally. Allura, I'm deeply concerned about you kissing both Lance and Keith, especially Lance." Romelle said getting serious as she took Allura's hands in hers. "Sven has told me things about Lance and his romantic escapades back at the academy. He had quite the reputation for being a heartbreaker," she said as she let go of Allura's hands and then returned to her cup of tea. Francine rejoined them a short time later. Taking a deep breath as she sat down and poured herself more tea and added a splash of honey, she then apologized to Allura.

"My apologies for my comments Allura." she said . I just want you to take chances in life. It's too short. I mean, you're a woman now and you still have that old nag bossing you around, telling you what to do, what to wear, how to act..."

Allura interrupted, " I love Nanny and yes she is bossy, but she's always had the best intentions for me no matter what. As for taking chances, I kissed Keith, but" she sighed, "I just don't know if it was the right thing to do. He seems to be avoiding me. I wonder if he even likes me after that." She continued to sigh until Lady Francine spoke up.

"Maybe he's gay," she offered as she picked up a forkful of salad.

"Keith is not gay!" Romelle snapped. "Look Allura, give it time. I know he's been hurt bad."

"I suppose you're right. He's my hero and he's just so handsome, but so mysterious and that scares me," Allura said as she twisted her napkin in her hands.

"Well, even if it doesn't work out with either of these boys, there's always my Uncle Paxton. Your governess and royal advisor have been discussing a marriage proposal to him." Francine stated as she put her elbow on the table and rested her hand on her chin. "What do you think of that?" she asked.

Allura's jaw dropped as she just stared at Francine. After a moment, she shook her head as she furrowed her brows. "That's absurd! Why would they do that?"

Francine gave a chuckle which grew to a laugh. "What's wrong with my uncle? Just think, we could be related!"

Allura abruptly rose from the table, her breaths becoming shallow and rapid. "I, I've got to go. Excuse me. I've got to find Coran!" she yelled out as she rushed from the table leaving Francine and Romelle stunned and looking at each other trying to process what had just happened.


	6. Chapter 6

"Coran! Coran!" Allura cried out as she burst into the control room, her bosom heaving and her strappy high-heeled sandals clapping against the stone floor. "I need to speak with you now!"

Coran peaked from behind a large desk and computer screen. His spectacles were down on his nose. "Now Princess? I'm quite busy at the moment," he replied then went back to clicking away on the computer's keyboard.

"Now Coran!" Allura demanded and then watched as Coran furrowed his brows before turning to face her again.

"Well, what is it? Why are you raising your voice at me?" he asked irritation in his voice, but he was also puzzled at her sudden and alarming entrance.

"I demand that you tell me about what you and Nanny are up to with Lord Paxton!" she snapped, her heart racing as she spoke with a slight tremble in her loud voice.

Coran's heart skipped a beat with surprise as he wasn't suspecting Allura to know anything about what he and Nanny had proposed. "I see you are aware. Allura, it's something to consider. I cannot discuss the complexity of what this entails, but the plan is for you and Nanny to meet with Lord Paxton and me over lunch. This way you will be informed as to what will happen."

"Coran, you're not telling me anything!" Allura shouted with frustration at his vagueness, the veins in her neck distended. "What is this about?" she demanded again, her hands now on her hips.

Coran stood up from his chair and began to walk towards her while speaking calmly. "Allura, Lord Paxton and his family have a great and powerful family. I know you and Francine have been friends since childhood, but you probably don't know much about her uncle. His military devised secret weapons, one of them which is some type of virus that can kill Drules. Do you realize what this means? This could mean Arus would be protected from Doom's attacks and perhaps Lotor would finally leave you be. It's worth a chance Allura, at least consider it. Consider Lord Paxton as your future husband."

_My future husband._ Those words were troubling and they slowly sank to the pit of her abdomen. "What of my friends? What about the Voltron Force?" she asked feeling puzzled and a sudden wave of indigestion in her stomach as she thought more of this arranged marriage. "I will not be a pawn! Is that what I am?" she sneered as her eyes narrowed. Coran walked closer to her as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Of course not, my dear highness. The boys can stay on and work with the castle guards. We could find them something, otherwise perhaps they may have to return to Galaxy Garrison." He could see her growing frown, but he continued on. "We will meet with Lord Paxton over lunch in a couple of days. You'll get to know him and I promise you this will be a great thing." Hopefulness glowed in his brown eyes as he looked into her worried blue ones. Allura felt her dreams falling apart one by one like raindrops falling to the ground. Amongst her worries, what would she do about Lance and Keith? She wanted to marry for love! Afterall, her parents did. At this time, she was not in a mood to debate all of this with Coran as she turned away from him and walked towards the large window overlooking the countryside.

"I will meet him, but I cannot promise you anything" she responded firmly while still staring out the window. Coran let out a long sigh until they both were interrupted with a message from Lotor on the overhead screen. His eyes along with his his blue skin and grinning smile were of pure evil. Both Allura and Coran took a moment to catch their breath at the sudden surprise of the Prince of Doom.

"Greetings to you my dear princess. Have you thought of finally surrendering Voltron to me and becoming my wife?" he sneered.

"Never!" she responded gritting her teeth. Lotor on the large monitor mocking her only infuriated her more with all that she had to deal with already. Coran reached for her arm to try and hold her back.

"Allura, don't! Don't speak with him. Let me handle this. I'm your royal advisor!" Coran begged, but she managed to pull her arm away and stomp towards to screen glancing up at Lotor's visage, his smile growing more menacing.

"No Coran. This is for me to handle. Lotor, I will never be yours and Voltron will also never be yours! Every robeast you send, we will fight and destroy!" Allura yelled back as loud as she could.

"Eventually your planet will suffer and be slowly destroyed. You will not stand a chance against the power of Doom. Surrender to me Allura. I will be your husband. We are meant to be." Lotor let out a hardy laugh that made her skin crawl and the hair on Coran's arms stand up.

"Never! Damn you Lotor! I long for the day when you meet your demise, then I will gladly spit on your grave you rotten bastard!" She spun quickly on her heel glancing enough only to spot a mask of surprise on Lotor's face and a spasm of fear cross Coran's.

As Allura rushed from the control room, Coran hollered after, "Please Allura! Come back! I beg you! You shouldn't have.."

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Unshed tears clouded her vision as Allura ran back to the rose garden to hopefully find Romelle and Francine. When she arrived, she broke out in a heavy sob as they were no longer there. She paced back and forth for awhile until one of the maids looked up from her weeding at her.

"Bernice, tell me where Romelle and Francine went." she asked frantically.

"Oh your highness, they left just a little bit ago, but Romelle left you this note." Bernice took off her gardening gloves and reached in the pocket of her white apron before she placed an envelope in Allura's shaking hands. Allura felt a bit of relief wash over her as she took it.

"Thank you, and can you tell me where I might find Commander Keith?" Allura asked eagerly.

"Commander Keith? Why, he left early this morning with two of the other boys. They won't be back until this evening. I thought he would've mentioned something to you as you are part of the Voltron force," Bernice replied looking at the perplexed young princess in front of her.

"No, he didn't. Thank you again Bernice," Allura said with her voicing cracking slightly. Now the tears were flowing. "I must go to father!" she dashed off nearly tripping in her sandals. Exhaustion took over and she slipped off the sandals before heading down a cobblestone path to a large pond with a flowing fountain. There she broke down weeping bitterly.


	7. Chapter 7

**I want to thank again my readers, reviewers and those following this story. But, I need to tell you that towards the end of this chapter, there is some intimate interaction, and although does not contain actual sex, it may make some readers uncomfortable. You'll know what I mean when you get further into this chapter ;) So, please consider yourself warned!**

_Theme song of this chapter is "Never Been in Love" by Randy Meisner._

Awakened, Lance stretched out on the ground while opening his eyes and then gazing up at the tree branches high above of him. Unaware of how long he had been lying supine and napping, he rubbed his eyes and found himself staring at blue sky with large, white and grayish clouds poking through the tops of the Arusian ash trees. The temperature had plunged in the afternoon, so it felt a bit chilly to him, thus he had thrown on his leather jacket. Keith, Hunk and Pidge had decided to head over to the desert valley earlier that morning to test out new upgrades on Yellow while Lance had gotten called in to assist Coran in the control room. Lance was able to get off early from duties. He couldn't have been more relieved, as earlier he had looked out one of the spacious control room windows and had seen Allura with Romelle and some other gal Keith and he had met earlier that day. The three were having tea and lunch. Allura had been on his mind constantly and he sighed drowning in his thoughts of kissing her, holding her and tasting her. He clenched his eyes shut trying not to think of what else he wanted to do. After his shift ended, he went to look for her, but she was nowhere to be found.

Slowly rising to his feet, he brushed off blades of grass, dirt and brush before popping the collar of his leather jacket up. He was thinking he would stroll down by the fountain, maybe throw in a coin or two in for good luck. Moving away from the trees and down the hill, he followed a narrow, cobblestone path that led from the back of the castle and wound around to the large pond with the fountain spewing forth a spray of white.

Stopping just at the top of the hill, he thought he imagined it, a soft whimpering wail. Looking up in the massive trees in search of a bird, he found nothing and so he walked further on the path getting closer to the fountain hearing the whirling sound of water louder, but also the faint mourning. Then, he spotted her. Allura was in tears and slumped on a bench near the pond in front of the fountain.

"Allura, what's wrong Honey?" he asked as he dropped down beside her on the wooden bench.

She barely glanced up, but managed to respond, "Everything Lance!"

"Like what?" It was tearing him apart to see her in distress like this.

"Lotor is making threats. Keith won't talk to me. Coran and Nanny.." she started, but the sobs overpowered her and she couldn't finish her sentence. Lance took her hand gently and just held it before he pulled her close to him in an embrace, letting her cry on his strong shoulder.

"It's gonna be okay. Nothing is worth getting so upset about," he said softly. "Allura, you're so cold Sweetheart." He then offered her his leather jacket and wrapped it around her before pulling her close to him. Instantly she was warm and her sobbing eventually subsided as she vented to him. After placing a soft kiss on her cheek and then one on her forehead, he continued to be silent, just holding her. As she pulled away slowly, she took out a small hankerchief that she dabbed her eyes with and then blew her nose quietly. Lance studied her amazed at truly beautiful she was with her golden hair in a side braid and tiny daisies woven into it. Unable to see the true blue of her eyes because of the tears, swelling and redness, he still knew she was lovely. After a deep breath, her sobs had lessened down to just a few. Finally she seemed calmer and more composed as she was more quiet. "Feel better now?" he asked.

Her response was a nod before stating, "I was going to see my father in the crypt, but I was just so exhausted that I had to sit down here." She looked around a bit at the fountain and then the trees before turning to him. "It's usually so peaceful, so magical and calming, but I don't feel that way right now."

"So, tell me what's got you so worked up?" he asked feeling impatient. The fact that Keith also had her upset raised his ire and he gritted his teeth.

"Coran and Nanny want me to marry a prince. His name is Lord Paxton and he's my friend Francine's uncle from the Circinus galaxy. I've never met him and I really don't know much of him. Francine told Romelle and me at lunch today that I'm suppposed to marry him and that he has some immunity against Doom."

"Princess, are you serious about this? How could any planet or colony have any 'immunity' against Doom?" What the fuck? Lotor and Zarkon signing peace treaties? Like that would ever happen." Lance narrowed his eyes and wondered what it would be like to confront this Lord Paxton and afterwards he'd give Nanny and Coran a piece of his mind. Both he, and the other boys had always thought it was ridiculous that Allura should have to marry a prince and have no say in it.

"I know. I plan on meeting Lord Paxton, but that's it!" Allura exclaimed pounding her fist on the bench beside her. "There will be no promise of marriage even though I know I am obligated to marry a prince." She gave a sigh, but then jutted her chin before adding, "As long as it's not Lotor."

"Yeah, anyone's better than that ugly ass. He's bothering you too?" Lance asked with his hazel eyes filling with anger.

"No more than usual," she replied while rolling her eyes. She clenched her fists tightly which showed Lance that she was didn't wish to speak further of Lotor. They discussed Romelle and Sven's engagement. Sven had met with the boys via satellite that morning to announce the engagement and asked them to be in the wedding. Allura was unsure what the status of her involvement in the wedding was, but maybe it was indicated in the note that Romelle had left her. She showed it to Lance who encouraged her to open it up and read it. Unfolding a light pink piece of paper, she read to herself,

_Allura, I'm so terribly sorry you had to leave us. I understand you needed to urgently meet with Coran about Lord Paxton. I just don't understand Francine sometimes. Please meet up with me this evening in the parlor of the castle. I have some more exciting news to share with you. I surely hope you can attend._

Allura's smile brightened and she told Lance what it stated. He couldn't even tell that she had been sobbing profusely only moments earlier. He told her he figured Romelle was asking her to be in the wedding. They talked of it and Lance brought up about all the potential single ladies he could meet. Allura found herself squirming in her seat slightly and then thought to test how he felt about girls in general and Francine, until Lance asked her about her tea party.

"I was hoping to crash it, but you were already gone," he said with a huge grin on his face and Allura knew he was being facecious.

"So, what do you think of Francine?" Allura blurted out looking him straight in the eye. Sitting there beside her, she thought of how handsome he was with his sandy brown hair, rugged features, the smattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks and the stubble of reddish brown facial hair on his chin and upper lip. Those hazel eyes of his always seemed to give away his mood from flirtatious, to joking, to anger or rage. When that occurred, they seemed to almost take on a reddish hue. Taking a deep breath, she asked, "Think she's your type?"

Lance jerked his head to her suddenly, his eyes large. "Francine? Look Princess, no offense, I know she's your friend and all, but that chick is bat-shit crazy!" Allura's mouth dropped open, but she then gave a laugh at Lance's way of words. "Before we were introduced to her, she was rubbing up against one of the guards and the next thing we see, she's smacking him across the face! He didn't do a damn thing to her to deserve it, I swear!" Observing Allura's confused look, Lance elaborated. "She's got these huge green eyes that stare right into your soul. It's creepy. Both Keith and I got hit on by her. Believe me, I don't have any interest in her, neither does Keith."

"Keith?" Allura asked, her voice suddenly rising.

"Especially Keith," Lance replied. "So," he decided to change the subject. "What's been going on with you and Keith. Have you had that kiss yet?" Startled, Allura jerked slightly. She was shocked that Lance would ask her this.

"Yes," she finally admitted.

"Well, did he enjoy it? Did you?"

"Yes, but he hasn't talked to me since. It's like he's avoiding me Lance."

Shaking his head in disgust, Lance cursed Keith. _Dammit Kogane._ He previously would've encouraged Allura to not give up and he would've been eager to hear about a kiss with Keith, but now no longer. He felt a stab like a dull knife hitting his heart with jealousy and he couldn't stand hearing of her sharing a kiss with Keith, even more that Keith was playing some sort of game. Lance thought he caught a glimpse of sadness cross Allura's features, and he turned his head away from her to stare into the fountain for a moment. He couldn't stand it any longer hiding his feelings for her from her.

"Allura, It's pissing me off that Keith's playing chicken shit with you," he stated while standing up with his voice beginning to shake. Beads of perspiration formed on his forehead as he turned to her and picked her hand up with both his hands. "I can't hide it any longer, my feelings for you. I, I'm falling in love with you." It felt like he had been suspended in the air by his arms, then finally released to drop to the ground and to be free. But, he didn't know now how she would take it. He knew how she felt about Keith and that it was he was up against.

"Lance, I can't stop thinking about you and that kiss we shared. It was incredibly amazing." Her eyes fluttered. "I'm, I'm falling in love with you, but Keith.." He then stopped her from talking further by placing a finger against her lips.

"Please, please," he begged. "I know how you feel about him too, but dammit I can't help myself!" He took her face in his hands and leaned forward as his lips sought hers. Her arms wrapped around him as her thoughts of fear, anxiety and anger dissipated as their kiss deepened and she melted into him. He pulled back for a breath of air as his passion-glazed eyes searched hers. His hands were still on either side of her head and he lightly brushed back wisps of her blonde hair that pulled out of her braid. Allura looked equally dazed when she opened her eyes to gaze at him.

"Wow," she replied shrugging her shoulders with glee and then sighing with pleasure. "I want more kissing, just you and me, but not here," she stated while glancing around the pond, the fountain and the trees. Lance also looked behind them noting the steep hill and the trees atop of it. He hoped no one had seen them kissing. "I know a perfect place we can go where no one will disturb us," she said eagerly and breathing heavily with excitement as she took his hand.

"Um, are we going to your father's crypt?" Lance asked feeling rather confused, yet still excited while he accepted her hand and they left the bench. Her answer was a shake of her head with a laugh. Making a quick wish, he threw a coin into the fountain hoping his wish would come true. She led him further on the cobblestone path past the hill and past a couple of blooming cherry trees. Their pink blossoms matched Allura's gown, but their scent was no one near as enticing as hers, he thought. They walked partially into another forest with a small clearing, and after crossing between two very large oak trees, he saw where she was leading him to and he froze in place at the sight. It was a tiny pink house.

"It was my playhouse when I was a little girl. My father built it for me, and Romelle and I used to have tea parties in there. Now I just come here to relax or get away from Nanny." she giggled. Pulling her hand away from his, she walked up closer to the house and pointed at the shutters. "The house was damaged in the Drule war, but Coran was able to fix it up and do some repairing." She glanced up at the dark pink shingles of the roof as they glittered in the sunlight. "I don't think he knows I still come here." Then, turning back to Lance who had stepped closer to her, she asked, "Well, what do you think?" before taking his hand again and leading him inside the house.

He looked around a bit at the pink-painted walls with gold flecks sparkling in the sunlight after Allura had pulled back curtains to illuminate the room. There were two large velour wing chairs on either side of a rectangular-shaped wooden table in the middle of the room. The table was hand-carved oak with intricate designs in it, and on it sat a miniature china tea set with beautiful, tiny flowers painted on each little piece. Allura placed Lance's leather jacket onto the back of one of the chairs and continued to watch his expression as she showed him around. The house being so tiny, had only the one room, a small closet and a bathroom containing a vanity, sink and toilet. A full-sized bed covered with a bedspread ornately embroided with pink and gold designs, was in the corner. Next to the bed, was a wooden basket with a variety of antique dolls in it. Some of them had their eyes half-opened as they laid there and others appeared to be staring right at Lance which caused him to feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He tried not to look back at the bed, but studied the room which was mostly pink and gold, and oh so feminine. He couldn't help but feel oddly out of place and that it was as though he had entered a doll's house.

"It's you," he finally replied with a smile and a shrug. Allura moved closer to him and took his face in her hands. Her lips then pressed against his to resume their kissing. Soft moans emanated from her and he pushed his body against hers allowing his roaming hands to slide from her back down to her firm buttocks. He was impressed at how firm they were from all the lunges and squats she used to complain about having to do in the gym. He was wanting more and more from the kiss, but aware of blood rushing to certain areas and he wished that wasn't happening. Still locked in a passionate embrace with her, he stepped back a bit, so his hips weren't so engaged with hers. However, she moved her hands down to his lower back and buttocks pulling him closer to her. She stiffened suddenly for a moment as she felt the hardness between his legs. Pulling her lips from his, she left a path of wet kisses up his jaw that ended towards his ear.

Breathing heavily, she began to whisper, "Lance, are you.."

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry," he replied, his cheeks reddened with embarrassment. "I can't help it."

"It's okay," she replied slightly shy and embarrassed, not ever experiencing a man aroused by her.

Holding her still, he stated,"Allura, I don't want to make you feel like we should." She pulled back from him, her face with an expression of innocence mixed with nervousness.

"Thank you. I'm, I'm not sure that I'm ready for that." He wanted her so bad and he wished his erection would go away quickly.

He sat down in the wing chair with his leather jacket on the back of it and tried to strike up a conversation about the house as he looked around. But, this was put to an end when Allura sat down on his lap. _Oh Allura why?_ he thought. He laughed nervously, but she continued her kissing and then trailed more wet kisses down to his neck. It took him a lot of strength and self-control to pull himself away from her, but he did and stood up with graceful ease. Gazing longingly into her sea-blue eyes, he kissed her again gently. "Sweetheart, I probably should go now or I'll never want to leave. That could be dangerous," he added as he gave her a wicked teasing smile that caused her to laugh.

He rested his hands on her shoulders for a moment as her eyes searched his. "We have to be careful to keep this a secret. We can't let the others find out about this especially Coran, Nanny and _Keith_."

"I know," she whispered as she led him to the door before leaning up to give him one more kiss.


	8. Chapter 8

**Just beware dear readers that in this chapter Allura and Romelle have a candid talk relating to the previous chapter. ;) Oh, and Paulina Ann, I think you're gonna love Romelle's reaction. This chapter is split with scenes and I redid the second half a bit and hopefully cleaned up some of the grammatical nightmares I had missed earlier. Right now, I'm still my own beta and the longer some of these chapters get, the more chance for error. Hmmm.. thinking about getting a beta again, but I shall see.**

**I know many of you are K/A fanatics. Please, I don't mean to torture you so much. Without giving away the plot bunnies of this story, please hang in there. I promise you'll be pleased further along in the upcoming chapters of this story.**

Gliding through the hallways of the castle, Allura's mind was swirling with a high, her heart fluttering as she reached the door leading to the castle's parlor room. After her time with Lance, her mood had swung from despair and anxiety to boundless ecstasy. _Is this what's like to be in love, _she thought. The only time she ever felt this elevated was when she was in Blue blasting off far away into the cosmos. After kicking off her high heels as she entered the parlor, she twirled in a circle and giggled with her smile bright and wide. Her excitement was magnified as she was to meet with Romelle and tell her all about her experience today.

Wearing a lemon-colored, tea-length gown with her hair now out of the braid and falling in waves down her back and her sides, she sat down on the teal velour sofa. Eagerly, she waited for Romelle and it wasn't long before she appeared in the doorway and gave Allura a wave after she set down a white package tied with a pink ribbon and a black velvet bag with a gold drawstring. Allura got up and ran to her giving her a big hug. Looking absolutely radiant, Romelle was wearing an ocean-blue dress that had halter-style straps and a low neckline. The only jewelry she wore besides her large, sparkling engagement ring, was a pair of tear-drop sapphire earrings. Her strawberry-blonde hair hung down also in long, flowing waves. Allura couldn't help but feel slightly jealous as she knew Romelle didn't have a nanny who told her what she could and couldn't wear.

"I'm so glad we could meet up again Cousin," Romelle said, her hands on Allura's shoulders as she studied her face, which was a striking contrast to earlier when she rushed out from their lunch in distress. "You look like you're doing much better than earlier. Did things get settled with Coran about Lord Paxton?" she asked.

"It's all good," Allura said with confidence and her eyes were as bright as Romelle's. "I talked with Coran, although I'm sure I haven't heard the end of it. You know, Nanny and he want me to marry Lord Paxton," she said shaking her head.

"Royal advisors! They always want us to marry some prince and they don't care if we find true love elsewhere," Romelle scoffed as she waved her hand then picked up the black velvet bag. "I've got something that will take our minds of all that nonsense," Romelle stated as she smiled with mischief before pulling bottle of champagne out of the bag. "Let's have some champagne," she added as she passed the bottle to Allura. "Go ahead and open it."

"No, I better not," Allura stated holding up her hands as she laughed. "I don't have good experience with opening champagne bottles."

"Very well then," Romelle replied before taking and turning around to open the cork. It made the familiar popping noise, but didn't shoot across the room. She then walked across the room to a china cabinet made from distressed cherry wood and took out two clear crystal champagne glasses. After Romelle poured equal amounts of the champagne in each glass, they both giggled as the beige foam spilled over the glasses.

"Where's Francine?" Allura asked, not that she minded the least bit that Francine wasn't joining them.

Romelle rolled her eyes and let out a slight laugh before she took a sip of her champagne. Then, sitting down next to Allura, she handed Allura her own glass of champagne as she responded, "She went to a bar down in the village, obviously she's on the prowl for a conquest. This package is for you from her as she didn't have a chance to give it to you at lunch. She was disappointed that according to her, there were no 'interesting men' here. I'm surprised she isn't hanging around here trying to pick up Lance or Keith."

"Oh, she was. Lance told me all about it." Allura said as she sipped her champagne and a curious smirk formed on her face as she glanced at the package wondering what was in it.

"Really?" Romelle said raising her eyebrows. She was intrigued about Francine trying to pick up Lance and Keith, but more overjoyed than anything to tell Allura her proposal and drink the champagne. Allura told Romelle about how Francine acted around the guard with Keith and him. Romelle snorted in disgust. She, however, couldn't wait to ask Allura what she had been dying to for the past few hours.

Setting down her glass of champagne on the coffee table, she got right to it. "Allura, my dear cousin, will you be my maid-of-honor in my wedding?" Romelle asked trembling with excitement and knowing just how Allura would react.

"Oh! Of course Romelle!" Allura responded in a giddy, high-pitched squeal as she jumped about the room and nearly dropped her glass of champagne. Setting it down, she rushed back to Romelle and squeezed her. "Is this where we toast?" she shrieked with joy. "To you and Sven! May you live happily ever after!" Their glasses clinked and Allura downed half her champagne. She was beginning to feel a little dizzy with a warm flush that went from her toes to her head, but she also began to feel like she could tell Romelle anything, even more so than before. They talked about what details were known of the wedding, how it would be held on Pollux, and of all who was in it including the boys. Romelle had no idea of what dress she would wear other than something "white and sparkly." So, there would be much planning to do and Allura would be involved in that as well.

Allura's giddiness continued to soar as she sipped more and more of her champagne, her glass nearly finished. She thought it was time for _her _ to spill out to Romelle of her experience today with Lance. With pink cheeks, she smiled, laughed and while twirling one of her golden locks around her finger, boldly asked Romelle, "So, tell me, what was it like when Sven, you know, got.." She couldn't think of the proper term for male arousal, but then remembered overhearing another word that Hunk used when he was talking to Pidge about girls. She then asked, "What was it like the first time Sven got a hard-on with you?"

Instantly shocked at Allura's questions, Romelle spewed out a mouthful of champagne that nearly splattered on Allura, but ended mostly on the sofa. She felt some of it come out of her nose and after coughing for several moments, she dabbed her nose with a hanky before gaining composure. Still flabbergasted and wide-eyed, she turned to Allura, "What made you ask such a question?!"

"I'm sorry! Are you okay? I didn't mean to startle you." Romelle nodded in thanks, but her expression continued to be of astonishment. Allura took the hint and elaborated on her question.

"Okay, so I was making out with Lance..," she began, but before she could finish, Romelle hadn't attempted another sip of her champagne, but nearly dropped her glass on the floor when she heard Lance's name mentioned.

"Lance? You were making out with him..today?" Romelle was shocked, not only by what Allura had just told her, but also she was perturbed by the look of passion in Allura's eyes, but then also felt a sense of curiosity poking at her. "Where did you do this? How did you manage to be alone with him?"

"Well, I was so upset after I talked with Coran and then you and Francine were gone when I went back to the rose garden. I really needed to talk to someone, but I ended up going down to the pond and the fountain. Lance found me there and he listened to me. He was there for me." Allura gave a sigh as she stretched her arms. "Anyway, we ended up at my old playhouse in the woods."

"The playhouse? Oh wow! You took him there and made out with him? Did he try to seduce you?" Romelle had a worried look on her face and her blue eyes widened. She couldn't stop thinking about what Sven had always said of Lance being the ladies man of the group.

"Of course not Romelle. He's not like that. He was a complete gentleman. I just love the way he holds me and kisses me.."

"What about Keith? What about _him?_" Romelle interrupted. "What if he finds out about you and Lance making out?" Her concern for her cousin's behavior was beginning to worry her more and she could feel a dryness in her mouth even though she was drinking her champagne.

"He won't find out," she said as she shook her head. "Why do you care so much about Keith and me?" Allura asked.

"I just think he'd be a better fit for you than Lance. Sven always refers to Lance as the 'bad boy' of the group. He's hot-headed and like I said at lunch today, he's slept around and played women. It just worries me. I don't want my dear cousin to end up heartbroken." Upon saying this, she took Allura's hand and held it.

"Honestly, I don't hear or see anything of that going on. Don't worry Cousin. I won't go _that _ far with Lance." Allura replied as she smiled in reassurance and then stated, "I will find Keith and talk to him about _our _kiss. Even if I have to turn this castle upside-down and shake him out of it, I'll talk with him." Romelle gave a nod despite the look of doubt on her face before Allura turned her eyes to the package and asked, "By the way, I'd love to know what's in the package Francine gave you to give to me?"

"Open it up, " Romelle stated as she passed it to her. Allura untied the ribbon and slowly began unwrapping the package which contained items of clothing neatly folded. One was a pair of tiny denim shorts and a hot pink shirt. Allura held them up to herself and turned to Romelle who remarked at how short the shorts were and that the pink t-shirt was cropped. Therefore, it would show off her belly button and midriff. "Wow," Romelle said, "What else is in there?" as Allura then pulled out a bright red bikkini. The top was halter-style and the cups were padded which would give her breasts a lift. The bottoms were high-cut and Allura blushed knowing that she had never owned a bikkini like this. Her feelings about it were a mix of daring to nervousness and intrigue. Unable to find words for what she thought, she looked over at Romelle who wore a smirk on her face before she softened to a smile. "Red, like Keith's flight suit," Romelle suggested.

"Or red like Lance's lion," Allura stated and Romelle raised her eyebrows.

"I suppose, but you better not let Nanny catch you in either of those outfits, especially the bikkini," Romelle warned.

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Even after waking up with a pounding headache from the overindulgance of champagne the previous evening, Allura was still set out to go for a morning run. It wasn't a good idea with the headache, or the fact that she had managed only to eat half of a berry turnover for breakfast. But, she decided on it anyway and now dressed in blue spandex shorts and a t-shirt over her sports bra, she was working on beating her usual three mile run. Her laced-up running shoes carried her at the brisk pace on one of the running trails beyond the castle, her hair pulled back into a ponytail that was whipping back and forth. Her breath was coming out in gasps and she felt her muscles tense, swollen, her chest heaving with each breath.

One reason for her to get out and run, was the scolding she got from Nanny and Coran earlier. It began as soon as she had stuffed the turnover in her mouth and laced up her running shoes. Both of them had descended upon her like two scavenging vultures. They got in her face with pointing and shaking their fingers at her. Coran was especially furious with her at how she acted towards Lotor and how could she put Arus in danger of another robeast attack? Nanny had turned to her unleashing fury that she will meet with Lord Paxton at lunch tomorrow, or else.

Allura needed to burn off the angry, tense energy that she felt, but she also shared it with the exciting energy of being with Lance and then knowing she was going to be maid of honor in Romelle and Sven's wedding. Soon, she began feeling the wondrous endorphins swimming throughout her blood. They were the best rush ever and just what she needed! Their effects intensified as she spotted Keith ahead of her at least a good four hundred yards. _Keith! Keith_ her mind screamed. She had to catch up to him. He was running at a good clip with his black hair whipping in the wind, his muscular arms set at his sides. "Keith! Keith!" she yelled to him before sprinting to catch up to him and as he caught sight of her, he slowed down allowing her to reach him and touch one of his muscular biceps glistening with sweat.

"Princess! Hey!" he called back out of breath. After slowing to a stop he bent down and rested his hands on his knees while catching his breath and waiting for her to do the same.

"Whew! Some run that was!" she exclaimed still gasping some before straightening up. Finally, I'm alone with you." About a minute of awkward silence passed before she asked, "May I have a word with you Keith?"

"Of course Princess. I've been meaning to meet with you about some things," he replied no longer out of breath. "Let's walk and talk." he added militantly as they both picked up a moderate stride. Without wasting any time, he got to his point. "Okay Princess. The team is concerned about you and Lance. You two seem to be spending more time together and flirting. I know you've given him your little cheek kisses after some of the battles, and I'm just wondering if anything is going on between you two?" he asked as he stopped and turned to face her.

Letting out a nervous laugh, she didn't want to lie to Keith, but she couldn't admit what had been going on between Lance and her. Why did he have to ask this?

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she managed to answer, "We're friends, just like you and me." She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and waited for him to reply.

"Okay. Well, I was concerned as these kind of interactions can disrupt the team." He had a sinking feeling in his stomach that she wasn't being so forward, and that there was something going on between Lance and her. Even though she was dressed casually for a run and her hair in a ponytail, she still was incredibly stunning with her long eyelashes, dazzling blue eyes the color of the sky, and the curve of her petite waist. He took a deep breath and tried not to let her beauty overwhelm him.

"Keith, do you?" she couldn't finish the sentence as her knees were beginning to tremble either from the heat, lack of water or that she was nervous. She had been wanting so badly to talk to him ever since she had shared that kiss with him during their berry-picking, but suddenly she was freezing up.

Keith got wind of her nervousness and her shakiness as he looked into her blue eyes. "Princess, when I first met you, I meant what I said. As the commander of the Voltron Force, I promise to keep you safe. Look, that kiss we shared, it was a reaction to the intense battle we fought against the robeasts. It's okay."

"Keith Kogane, I don't believe you! That kiss meant more to you than you want to admit and you've been avoiding me. I don't appreciate it one bit!" It was as though she had stepped out of her body and was watching herself with him. Were these really her own words?

Keith was dumbfounded as though he had been hit across the head with a pipe. Allura stood firmly waiting for him to answer, but being so thunderstruck by her outburst, there wasn't much that came to mind. Finally, he responded quietly and succinctly, "I'm not a prince."

"It doesn't matter Keith. Look at Sven and Romelle." Her heart was thundering in her chest, her mouth felt parched as dizziness washed over her. She took a deep breath, but she felt her knees buckling before she saw stars bursting and then finally blackness.

"Allura! Allura! Wake up! Are you okay?" Keith shouted frantically as he shook the princess who had just collapsed in his arms. He knew she had just fainted, he could feel her pulse, but her face was pallor and her skin clammy. Hearing murmuring, Keith placed his ear to her mouth. Finally, she opened her eyes slowly as she gradually came back into consciousness.

"Oh my! What just happened?" she asked as she looked up into Keith's concerned, obsidian eyes and heard his rapid breathing. "I'm okay," she reassured him.

"You fainted. How much water have you drank today?" he asked still cradling her head in his strong arms, his mood turning to commander-mode as he set her down gently onto the grass at the side of the path.

"Not much," she replied looking down, away from his eyes. Guilt washed over her.

Pulling out a bottle of water from his small backpack, he handed it to her. "Hydrate. Hydrate," he ordered. Smiling, she took a large gulp of the water feeling it swish around in her mouth and instantly relieving the dryness. The water continued to flow down her throat with ease and she drank and drank.

"Yes sir," she replied jokingly as she paused from drinking her water and added, "Thank you. I had no idea that was going to happen."

"Take it easy for the rest of the day Princess. You are probably not only dehydrated, but exhausted. I think I better have you see Dr. Gorma." Holding out his arm, she took it as he helped her up and they walked back to the castle together.

"No! I'm fine Keith, really," she pleaded. "I don't need to see the doctor."

"Alright then," he said turning to her. Then stopping and pausing for a moment, he then said, his voice soft spoken,"Princess, I have not been forthright in my feelings for you and I'm sorry. I owe you a meeting to talk about things. I can't deny it any longer." The moment he spoke his words, it was like glass then shattered around the both of them and what if she would faint again? But, she stood steadfast with her feet planted firmly and strong before speaking again.

"Oh yes, we will. Tomorrow after I have lunch with Coran, Nanny and Lord Paxton. Meet with me outside here on this trail," she said looking around trying not to be conspicuous before stopping to arch one eyebrow up as she faced him.

As soon as they were back to the castle, Keith escorted her to her bedroom door before placing a soft kiss on her forehead. Finally alone and in her room, she collapsed onto her bed. _What am I going to do? I want them both!_ She had been so entranced with Lance, but now with what happened with Keith had her feeling like she was sucked into a spinning vortex with both Lance and him.


	9. Chapter 9

"Gentlemen, may I introduce to you, Lord Paxton," Coran held out his arm towards the stout, middle-aged man with a ruddy complexion. Collectively, Keith, Lance, Hunk and Pidge stood together in Coran's study trying to suppress their feelings of revulsion at the unattractive man Coran was having them meet briefly. "He will be meeting with the princess, Nanny and myself at lunch today to discuss an alliance with his colony and Arus," Coran added. It was only a brief introduction as both Lord Paxton and Coran were on their way out for a castle tour. "Lord Paxton, meet Keith, Lance, Hunk and Pidge," Coran added as he gestured gracefully towards each of the pilots. The guys' eyes scanned over Lord Paxton and in each of their minds, they were unsure what was more hideous about the prince whether it was the aquiline nose, the protruding belly in the red tunic with the gold sash, the puffy chubby face, the graying temples or more. Perhaps, his personality would make up for what he lacked in physical attraction, but then he spoke, and each of them worked as hard as they could to suppress the grimace on their faces.

"So, you are the boys from Earth who came to save Arus and its princess. But, it seems that you are attracting more unwanted attention from Doom, more battles and robeasts than every before. How can you justify that what you do is right for Arus?" he asked in a somewhat harsh, nasal tone.

Keith could feel Lance tensing up standing next to him. He lightly brushed his hand against Lance's side. As the Voltron commander, he felt he was the one that needed to respond to this odd, but rude inquire from Lord Paxton. "Lord Paxton, Prince Lotor has his mind set on conquering Arus and making the princess his bride. Nothing will stop him from attempting that, but Voltron has defeated every robeast he has sent and protected the planet. If it wasn't for Voltron, the princess and the planet would be in peril. Princess Allura has been the blue lion's pilot for quite some time now and she has truly proven herself worthy of being part of this team," Keith also stated calmly.

"Well, that must come to an end. The princess's place is in her castle and for her to have heirs and take care of them, not to zip around in the sky endangering her life with a bunch of commoners," Lord Paxton said gruffly as he looked them up and down. "Well, it was good to meet you boys," he said before he turned away and walked out with Coran.

Lance was the first to loosen his tongue after the two were far down the hall out of earshot. "What in the hell are Nanny and Coran thinking?" He balled his fists and shook his head. "The princess would never marry that ugly fuck! We can't let that happen!" he shouted and Keith quickly shut the door to the study, so that Lance's rant couldn't be heard. Keith was somewhat shaken by Lance's reaction and knew just how he felt. It only proved that they were both equally enamored with the princess.

"I agree Lance! I can't see how it can happen. I just hope that Coran and Nanny realize this would be a huge travesty. There is nothing good about that guy. He does not have the right intentions for the princess or for Arus." Keith said as he began to pace about the study in deep thought.

"Poor Princess." Pidge said sadly as he turned towards Coran's book shelves and began to search for a book.

"That guys gives me the creeps. I can't see the princess liking him at all," Hunk said shaking his head.

"I know the princess. She can make up her own mind about what she wants," Keith stated standing firmly in place. "I'm confident that this will work out for the best. I believe in the princess and what she stands for Arus." There was silence as each lion pilot soaked in Keith's words and the situation they had just experienced.

"Alright boys," Keith then stated after awhile, "We talked about going swimming in the lake this morning. I think we'll all feel better if we can cool off and put this behind us. Let's grab our swimming gear and head for the lake."

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Allura had tossed and turned throughout most of the night having given up on sleep and just covered her head with her pillow while she laid in bed prone. When it was breakfast time, she opted to have in brought up to her in her room. Nanny scolded her again, but then thought her refusal was due to "nerves" about meeting with Lord Paxton and allowed tea and toast to be brought up to the princess. After eating a few bites and downing some tea, she had managed to get out of bed, but while still pacing in her nightgown, she continued to agonize over her thoughts. She had fallen for not one, but two of her fellow lion pilots, one of who was her commander. Then, there was a possibility of a marriage with someone else. But having seen Lord Paxton as he arrived into the castle, meeting him and allowing him to kiss her hand, she nearly collapsed at not only how old he was, but horrendously unattractive. Plus, he seemed to start at her no different than Lotor as though she were a piece of choice meat.

Beyond her bedroom window, was the breathtaking view of Lake Arus in the distance and she gazed at the soothing sunlight shimmering on its brilliant blue surface. There was no doubt in her mind that this would be the ideal day for a swim as the past few days had soaring temperatures and the lake would be warm. Letting out a disappointed sigh, she wished she could go for a swim especially after overhearing Hunk and Pidge in the hallway talk about swimming after breakfast. Most likely, all the boys were down there at the lake now basking in the sun and enjoying the waters of Lake Arus. It was now mid morning and she was just thinking of stealing away for awhile to the lake to take her mind off of her dread.

Nanny had given her one of her old swimsuits and a swimcap a few weeks ago to replace the pink bikkini that came apart when she had been swimming with the boys the last time. Nanny's swimsuit was what she felt a "proper" princess should wear on the beach. Allura reached down into her dresser and pulled out the ugly pink and white striped swimsuit and the matching cap. Both were made from a rubbery materal and and when Allura had tried them on sometime ago, neither fit her. The suit was at least four sizes too big and made her feel frumpy and the cap could not hold all of her long, flowing hair. Whatever posessed Nanny into thinking that _her _old swimsuits would fit Allura? After making a face, Allura flung the swimsuit and the cap feeling sheer satisfaction as they hit the wall before plopping on the floor patheticallly. Then, digging in the same drawer and pushing back several scarves and stockings, she pulled out the daring, sexy red bikkini that Francine had given her. A sneaky smile curved her lips as she slipped into the bottoms and then the top carefully tying the straps behind her neck and back. Whoa! As she looked into her full-length oval mirror, she was astounded. The bikkini top pushed up her breasts enhancing them and the bottoms were cut quite high giving the illusion of her having long legs, even though she was petite.

After gathering her long blonde mane into a bun, she gave one more look in the mirror. Keith and Lance were gonna love it, but she was a little nervous and had doubts about heading to the beach in this bikkini. She would have to sneak off by Nanny and spend just a little time at the beach enough to relax before her lunch with Coran, Nanny and Lord Paxton. Resting her hand on her chin for a moment, she brainstormed about how she could sneak out of her room, down the staircase and out of the castle without Nanny, the maids or guards finding out. There had to be a way!

Peaking out of her bedroom and out into the hallway, she looked and listened carefully. Not a sound or a soul was in sight and she could only hear her breath in excited gasps. Then, slipping out of her room as she closed the door quietly, she tiptoed straight to the large linen closet in the hallway where she grabbed a big, fluffy white towel to wrap around herself. As she carefully made her way down the hall to the staircase, she heard Nanny's voice at the opposite end. Her instincts were to run and as she began a brisk pace, she managed to scamper down the staircase, heart beating in her chest as she finally slipped out the Franch doors and made it to the back courtyard. By then, she had picked up speed and was heading through the vast apple orchard.

Although running out of breath, she was overjoyed to the see the white sands of the beach of Lake Arus within feet of her. Soon, she could hear laughter, splashing water and her excitement grew as her feet touched down on the hot sand while the sunlight luminated her beauty. The laughing and splashing grew louder as just ahead of her in the water was Hunk and Pidge. Hunk had Pidge sitting on his shoulders, then standing on them and in a flash, Hunk had thrown Pidge off and acrobatically he landed with a splash!

"Hey Princess!" Hunk yelled when he caught sight of Allura, his grin wide. Pidge's head then popped up above the water a short time later.

"Hi Princess!" Pidge called out with a big wave of his hand. "Glad you could make it out here," he added cheerfully. "Come on in! The water's great!" It wasn't often Allura had seen him without his glasses. He looked so different, but nonetheless, he was having a blast.

Allura took a few steps into the refreshing blue waters that were a little chilly, but she was getting used to them the further she walked out. There was a large boulder off to the side and just ahead of her and she would stop there and climb it to watch the boys. The water was starting to get deeper, just past her waist when she stopped. Standing in the cool water swirling her hands, she studied Keith who was standing on the raft about a hundred feet ahead of her in deeper water. Handsome, dark and muscular in his red swim shorts, Allura was captivated by his exotic features and presence. He gave her a smile and a wave as she did the same to him before he dove off of the raft into the water and began swimming front crawl strokes.

"Princess! Let your hair down and swim with us!" Hunk yelled out from the raft.

"I can't," she called back. "I have a lunch date with Nanny and Coran. I can't get too wet." She finally reached the boulder and with one hand, gingerly touched its surface. It was hot and not wanting to burn herself, she splashed some of the lake water onto it before climbing onto it and finding a flat area, rested on that while observing Keith swim and loving the sunlight glistening on his wet skin with each stroke.

"Cannonball!" Hunk roared as he jumped off the raft with his arms wrapped around his knees. A tremendous splash occurred as he hit the water. Allura laughed and shielded herself from the blast.

"Hey Princess!" Allura put down her arms wondering who had called her name. She was delighted to see Lance on the raft in his blue swim shorts. He looked just as handsome as Keith, standing with his long, lean, but muscular frame. His freckles were

smattered on his nose and cheeks, but also on his shoulders. He smiled as she gave him a wave and then he dove in swimming towards her.

Lance couldn't keep his eyes off of her when he first saw her enter the water. She was so gorgeous in the hot, red bikkini. Where the hell did she get that? The way she rested on the boulder, she looked like a magical mermaid just waiting there to seduce a sailor to his death.

"Do they have whales in Lake Arus?" he asked her and she gave him a perplexed look before she shook her head. "They do now," he said as he pointed to Hunk after his jump. They both laughed.

Lance reached her beside the boulder. To show off, he did a quick somersault under water and then popped up. Impressed with the feat, Allura laughed before he shook his head, his hair spraying water on her.

"Lance! No! You're getting me wet!" she yelled while using her hands to wipe off the excess water on her neck, chest and other areas. She remembered that she had left her towel on the sand before venturing into the water.

"Yep, I have that effect on women," Lance replied with a huge grin on his face. "So, Keith told me you blacked out yesterday. Are you feeling better?" His smile left as expression turned to more seriousness and concern.

"Yes, much better," she answered him all the while staring at Keith as he continued his laps.

"Keith takes his swimming pretty serious here, Princess," Lance said softly watching her gaze at Keith as though he were a magnificent god. "Why don't you do a few laps or hang out with us?" Lance asked as he began to float on his back and wiggled his toes above water.

"I can't get too wet. I'm supposed to have lunch with Nanny, Coran and that Lord Paxton," she replied turning to face Lance. "I'm not supposed to be down here," she said cautiously looking around the beach.

Lance, uneasy with her constant looks over at Keith who was swimming, thought fast of how to take her mind off of him. Despite his declaration of love for her, he knew Keith was often front and center in her mind. Lance thought hard of how to take her mind off of him. "Princess, what to do say we get out of the water here and go for a walk?" he suggested.

Allura was taken by the idea. They could go for a quick walk, stop along the shoreline of one of the nearby beach areas and look for agates, clams or starfish that often washed up. It was always so peaceful.

Now, out of the water, they walked away from the beach leaving Hunk and Pidge who were now on the shore building a sand castle and Keith still swimming laps. The white sand was scorching and occasionally Lance and Allura skipped through the sand where it was too hot to walk.

After his last lap, Keith did a backflip somersault and then swam closer to where it was more shallow. Standing up now, he looked towards the boulder where Allura had been sitting. That bikkini she was wearing was absolutely hot! How the hell she managed to get by Nanny and Coran, he would never figure out. Distant memories of the pink bikkini he had first seen her in some time ago, were now faded. Yes, this red bikkini was much more spectacular, but he couldn't let the other guys know that.

He couldn't wait to meet with her in the afternoon when he was finally going to proclaim his feelings for her. When he saw that she was no longer there, he looked towards the shore and did not see here there. His smile faded as he wondered where she went and Lance was gone too.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I feel bad you have to meet with those two and his royal ugliness," Lance spoke. "We all got the opportunity after breakfast to meet the douchebag." he also said. Allura started to laugh and she honestly did not disagree with Lance's opinion on Lord Paxton. After about five minutes of walking, they soon reached a secluded, peaceful beach with a few waterfalls nearby.

"Look! There are so many beautiful shells and look at those agates!" she cried pointing along the shore. She bent down and began gathering beautiful stones, the multicolors incredibly beautiful. Lance decided he wasn't interested in picking up shells or stones and being the prankster that he was, he decided that throwing seaweed at Allura would be hilarious. Spying a large pile of seaweed next to the far end of the shore, he walked over and grabbed a handful of the slimy, green materal. Sneaking up behind her, he tossed the seaweed and laughed as it splat on her.

"Eeew!" she shrieked immediately as she jumped up and brushed the seaweed off of her back frantically. "What did you do that for?" she demanded, her hands then on her hips. He was laughing, but at the same thought she was so damn beautiful standing there with her blonde hair piled up and she was wearing that oh, so sexy bikkini.

"That wasn't funny!" she scowled at him and then threw the seaweed back at him. He immediately in a playful manner, lunged at her and picked her up flinging her over his shoulder.

"Put me down Lance!" she demanded with her fists pounding on his muscular back. His only response was more laughs. But, then he gently laid her down supine on the damp, white sand now a deep, beige color from where the waves had soaked it along the shoreline. Allura's facial expression was of nervousness and wonder as Lance covered her body with his. After picking the pins one by one from her hair, he spread her long, blonde locks out on either side of her head. They reminded him of the glowing rays of the sun. Then, he kissed her. Her lips were soft, yet surprised as she pulled him closer to her and responded urgently and his lips trailed to her neck and to her throat where now her pulse was beating madly. His tongue slowly licked from her jaw up to her temple tasting her. Lance was only faintly aware of the waves flowing softly against them, the soft sand beneath them, the blazing heat of the sun and their breaths becoming ever more quicker with each kiss. He pushed his tongue deeper into her mouth and she reciprocated with equal fervor. Raising oneof her arms up near her head, Lance interlaced his fingers with hers and continued his urgent kisses. One of his hands felt her right breast and he caressed it through her bikkini top while his lips left hers and went to her neck, throat and finally towards her chest. He began to slip down the strap of her bikkini top when a wave of fear rose in Allura causing her to halt their passionate affair.

"How far is this going to go?" she whispered anxiously in his ear breathlessly. Her heart was pounding in her ears and she couldn't help but wonder if they were going to the edge.

"As far as you want Sweetie. I would never pressure you," he responded calmly in a husky voice before his lips turned again to hers. Allura then allowed herself to be lost in their kiss and the passion. It was just the two of them on the beach and that's all that mattered. She didn't have a care in the world and she was oblivious to the fact that her hair was down and getting soaked by the waves. She felt defiant.

Suddenly, Lance felt strangely unsettled. He wasn't sure if it was that Allura had jerked her head away suddenly with a gasp or if the rustling noise in the background had suddenly alerted his senses in another way. Removing his lips from her neck and slowly followed her gaze, he turned his head to the left. There, he locked eyes with Keith's steely glare.

"PRINCESS!" Nanny's shrill scream rang throughout the entire beach and echoed across the lake.

"Oh Gods!" Allura cried out as she scrambled out from underneath Lance and got to her feet like a frightened animal about to scamper away from prey. Lance could only lie there in the sand, shocked, confused to the whole situation. It was complete chaos on the beach with the sound of voices yelling in outrage.

"What on Arus!" Coran shouted. Allura was running frantically, but Nanny manage to grab her arm and get a hold of her.

"You come here now young lady! How dare you frolic on the beach like some hussy with that hooligan! You should be ashamed of yourself, such immoral behavior for a princess!" Nanny yelled, her chubby face turning red, her eyes narrowing in disgust and anger. "When we get back to the castle, you will take off that awful whore's suit and I will burn it!"

"No!" the princess cried out, tears starting to stream down her cheeks in embarrassment and shame, her long, blonde hair in wet chaos. Nanny threw a blanket around the princess and forced their way back towards the castle. There was perhaps not a soul who did not hear Nanny's tirade and the princess wailing.

Lance slowly sat up in the sand trembling. Ahead and to his right was Keith with cold, dark eyes staring at him and to his left was Coran who was equally immersed in heated anger. Lance didn't know who to fear more of the two of them.

Coran spoke, his voice, stern and deep, "Young man! What is the meaning of this? What makes you think you can engage in this with the crown princess of our planet? Do you realize how ..." Before he could finish his sentence, Keith held up his hand blocking Coran.

"I'll take it from here Coran," Keith stated firmly before Coran nodded to him and backed away hurrying towards the castle. Keith again had that death stare. He slowly made his way towards Lance who then finally got to his feet only without hesitation, Keith punched Lance in the face and then kicked him down.

"What did you do that for?" Lance got up to a sitting position while wiping fresh blood from a wound near his bottom left side of his lip.

"I hope you're proud of yourself Lance for disgracing the princess like this!" Keith snapped as he stood furiously glaring down at Lance, his features disorted in an angry scowl with furrowed brows.

"We were kissing! Fuck! What is it of your business? It wasn't like I was having sex with her!" Lance shouted back, his voice raised an octave with outrage and on the defense.

"You were going to!" Keith fired back, his black eyes even more filled with anger, rage and perhaps jealousy.

"No, I wasn't! Dammit!" Lance roared back. He rose to his feet finally and the two stood silently, hearts beating with madness in their chests. Lance wiped sweat from his brow and he continued to feel heat from his anger enveloping him.

"You've made a mockery of the princess! How dare you take advantage of her innocence!" Keith shouted back. His revilement of Lance continued for several minutes until he and Lance were neck and neck with each other.

"I too know how you feel about her Keith. You are just as in love with her as I am! I wanted the two of you to be together, but you had to bottle up your feelings for her and do all this noble shit like 'she can only be with a prince' and blah, fucking blah blah! I LOVE her Keith and I fucking can't help it!

"She is meant for a prince, not for a couple of chaps like us!" Keith responded sharply.

"So, I guess were both fucked, aren't we Keith?"

"Yes, but you are the one who is in a hole of trouble. If I were you Lance..."

"Ugh! I don't need to hear it! You go to hell!" Lance snapped back viciously as he turned and whipped his arm towards Keith in defiance. The rest of the bottle of tequila was waiting for him back at his room in the castle.


End file.
